Medicating the Military

“At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug. … The drugs come with serious side effects: They can impair motor skills, reduce reaction times and generally make a war fighter less effective. Some double the risk for suicide, prompting doctors â€” and Congress â€” to question whether these drugs are connected to the rising rate of military suicides. … Defense officials repeatedly have denied requests by Military Times for copies of autopsy reports that would show the prevalence of such drugs in suicide toxicology reports.”

“The long awaited 2010 Army report, ‘Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention‘ considers the economy, the stress of nine years of war, family dislocations, repeated moves, repeated deployments, troops’ risk-taking personalities, waived entrance standards and many aspects of Army culture. What it barely considers is the suicide-linked antidepressants, antipsychotics and antiseizure drugs whose use exactly parallels the increase in US troop suicides since 2005.Â … But instead of citing dangerous drugs and drug cocktails for turning troops suicidal (and accident prone and at risk of death from unsafe combinations) the Army report cites troops’ illicit use of them along with street drugs. (The word ‘illicit’ appears 150 times in the Army report and ‘psychiatrist’ appears twice.)”

Write to General Peter W. Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff, and let him know what you think [1400 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1400].

CCHR has been investigating and exposing the suicide risks of psychiatric drugs and the psychiatric assault on society since 1969. For more information click here.